


A Changing View

by Liadt



Category: Doctor Who & Related Fandoms, Doctor Who (1963)
Genre: F/F, post-'Corpse Marker' (novel)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-25
Updated: 2014-10-25
Packaged: 2018-02-21 15:54:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 602
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2473907
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Liadt/pseuds/Liadt
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Lish Toos was enjoying the autumn sun.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Changing View

**Author's Note:**

  * For [flickawhip](https://archiveofourown.org/users/flickawhip/gifts).



> Written for flickawhip as part of the Halloween meme.

Lish Toos walked out on to the veranda of her home. She rested her palms on the stone balustrade and leaned forward, enjoying the warmth of the sun on her bare arms. She wore a sleeveless, bubble-silk dress, with a wrap around her shoulders, to compensate for the weak autumn sun. After making enough money on her last mining tour to retire comfortably, Toos had her own property built on the edge of the Wide Peaks, with spectacular views of the Shimini Valley. Ordinarily, she wouldn’t have received planning permission, but knowing the Firstmaster Chairholder of the Company Board meant objections were quickly smoothed over.

“Leela, Leela!” called Toos, down the hillside. Leela ignored her and jumped nimbly from boulder to boulder after a mouse.

Toos had anticipated she would spend her retirement flaunting her wealth in the face of others. Apart from a few human servants, Leela was the only one she had left to impress. Leela wasn’t interested in bank balances however, as she was a small, ginger tabby cat. The nearest house to Toos was twenty-five miles away and she had few visitors. Even for collectors of eccentrics, a person who wouldn’t have robots around them was considered too out there. Toos often felt lonely, but she preferred the solitude to being surrounded by robots.

As she admired the view, Toos heard footsteps. They were soft and light; very different to a robot’s flat-footed gait or her staff’s tread. She didn’t know if the experience of being hunted by cyborgs had sharpened her senses or if it was easier for her to hear in the clear air of the mountains, than inside a storm miner with the constant hum of its engines in the background. 

Toos adjusted her shawl. It wasn’t that she was cold - she was subtly moving into a fighting position to ward off her unseen assailant. She waited until the footsteps were almost upon her and spun round quickly, grabbing the intruder’s arm. Partway through a defensive throw, she recognised the stranger’s face.

“Leela!” Toos exclaimed and let go of her, before she threw her over the balcony. 

“You called and I came,” said Leela, with a smile.

Toos decided the cat would have to be re-named.

“There was no need to sneak up on me,” said Toos.

“I wanted to see if you had carried on learning the skills to be a warrior, after beating the mechanical men.”

“Is your friend the Doctor with you?”

“The Doctor is busy. He says he has too many books to fight through, before we can go on another adventure. I think it is a silly thing to say.”

“It is a little - have you come to fight for me instead?” Toos joked.

“Why does your tribe need defending?” asked Leela, seriously.

“Oh no.”

“That is good. I did not come here to fight, but I can see you need a new warrior to teach you.”

“Really? I have been teaching myself.”

“You have? You have done well, but it explains why you failed to follow one of the rules.”

“Which rule is that?” asked Toos.

“When you have caught a wild animal, you must keep a tight hold on it until you are certain it has been subdued, like this.” Leela demonstrated what she meant by putting her arms around Toos to pull her into a kiss. When Toos’s wrap slid off her and over the balcony, to float thirty feet to the ground, she suggested it would be better for Leela to carry on her lesson indoors, on something that was only a foot off the floor.


End file.
